Biden-Harris Administration Restores Protections for Tongass National Forest
The ruling will reinstate longstanding protections that were removed in 2020, supporting both native cultures and carbon sequestration
Image: Justin, Adobe Stock
On January 25, 2023 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the restoration of protections for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The area is sacred to and holds special cultural meaning for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples. Further, the Tongass National Forest is the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest on earth and is considered critical for carbon sequestration and carbon storage. The government estimates that forests in the U.S. absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to more than 10 percent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Tongass National Forest alone is estimated to hold 44 percent of all carbon captured by U.S. national forests
“As our nation’s largest national forest and the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, the Tongass National Forest is key to conserving biodiversity and addressing the climate crisis,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Restoring roadless protections listens to the voices of Tribal Nations and the people of Southeast Alaska while recognizing the importance of fishing and tourism to the region’s economy.”
This ruling will prohibit road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest in inventoried roadless areas, with limited exceptions on 9.37 million acres of the national forest.
“The USDA has rectified a critical issue for our people who are most impacted by decisions affecting the Tongass,” said Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson in an official release. “Our way of life is intertwined with these lands and waters, and we have a deep interest and duty to protect the traditional lands of our people in perpetuity."
